Once again Lupus goes back to the '50s to stick it to the Soviets. This is
set in Prague in 1952, near the end of the Stalinist era. Nice use of stock
World War II footage in the intro as the narrator explains how the occupying
Germans were replaced by the equally brutal Russians. Former Nazi
collaborators and thugs simply went to work for the Communist secret police.

SETTING: The Red Reformatory is a cruel prison-like center for re-educating
the children of political dissidents into the wonderful ways of Stalinism
(with much ironic, satirical dialog tossed in). And it comes as no surprise
that our four lovely inmates suffer severe canings. These are: American
Niki Flynn (as Paulina), Adele Haze (as the Russian Oksana), and two
gorgeous Czechs, Alena Podhajska and newcomer Nikol Kralova.

STORY: In terms of CP action, this is a typical Lupus four-girls-get-caned
video with the same punishment bench from the Headmaster's Study series.
But it's presented within a much longer, more complex and cinematic story
than ever before. This is both good and bad depending on what you enjoy
watching. Thankfully, after only a few minutes of opening dialog we
jump-cut to Alena, already naked, strapped in, and ready to blubber. Warden
Scheitel gives the beautiful brunette 50 hard cane strokes. He lays it on at
a nice fast pace without pausing. Very good, but there are no face-reaction
shots of Alena (see Technical Notes below).

SUBPLOTS: Unfortunately, we have to wait till the 32 minute mark before we
get to the rest of the canings. In between are so many story elements,
flashbacks, characters, and exposition that it feels like a daytime soap
opera. The main story concerns Scheitel's hidden past as a Nazi SS officer.
There are artfully constructed flashbacks of him bullying a prisoner
(Vesely), forcing him to be an informer. Scheitel and the headmistress
panic when Vesely, who is now a sinister StB agent, shows up. Will he
expose his "old friend" Scheitel? (And, do we really care about these
characters?)

Oddly enough, the parallel story with the remaining three girls is less
developed. There's some humiliating nudity and Niki/Pauline gets an
all-too-brief 12 stroke belt-smacking from an angry female warden. Are they
saving her for the eventual caning? Niki can certainly take much more.
That's why we love her. This should have been a long, intense hairbrush or
paddling scene. She deserves more (and so do we) than a throwaway teaser.

CANINGS: Finally, after much anti-Communist jibber-jabber and a very dull
escape attempt, it's naked caning time for Niki, Adele, and Nikol.
First-timer Nikol Kralova is an intensely beautiful blond with cute
pigtails. Strapped to the familiar bench, the stern headmistress delivers
40 pretty hard cane strokes in quick succession. The anguished cries seem
quite real. Vesely, who is overseeing the proceedings, wants the canings to
be even more severe. He takes over, giving Niki 40 hard and fast strokes,
pausing briefly in the middle. She cries and carrys on a bit too loudly,
but the cane does cut into her skin in several places. Another first-timer,
Adele Haze, goes over the bench. She's a bit chunky and Vesely admires the
wider, rounder target before letting loose with 40 fast cracks of the
rattan. She makes some very convincing sounds -- no acting required, it
really hurt. This also causes some bleeding on one cheek.

EVEN MORE PLOT!: That should have been the end, but instead we go back to
the Scheitel-Vesely story for another 12 minutes or so. No more girls, but
plenty of extraneous scenes and characters (including a nutjob who lurks in
a storage room talking to suitcases), another flashback, a shooting, an
investigation, and so on. Ambitious, but a bit too much. This has two
different stories competing against each other. It would have been better
with the girls worked into the story of the ex-Nazi character (a la The
Night Porter for example).

Suggestions: It would be a blast to see Lupus do another World War II-era
story set in a female concentration camp, etc. (Their main rival, Mood
Pictures, has already done two exciting "Gestapo" films with simple
stories.) Lupus, with its more sophisticated approach, could do a bang-up
job with that subject. Also, the caning scenes, albeit severe, are getting
tiresome after seeing the same formula repeated in 20-odd films. Ironic
that the least creative aspect of their plot-heavy films are the CP scenes.
One wishes they would mix it up a bit and give some other implements the
same intensive workout.

TECHNICAL NOTES: The smooth integration of (mostly Russian) background
music and black and white footage is excellent. All the canings are hard,
fast-paced and exciting -- but none include face reaction shots, which are
sorely lacking. They're using a new two-camera technique. One is for the
ass closeup while the other swings around on a dolly from a wide
three-quarter to side view. This makes it nearly impossible to set up a
face angle camera out of frame (as the canings are shot in real time with no
cuts). But a few face shots could (and should) be staged afterwards and
edited in.

TECHNICAL FLUBS: There is a pivotal shooting scene but no gun sound effect
-- just a pathetic, barely audible thud. And, as usual, the broken-English
subtitles are distracting. They should have given Niki a few dollars extra
to proofread them first. Will they ever lean?

BONUS FEATURES: Both camera views (closeup and 3/4 pan) are shown complete
and unedited for the four caning scenes. Excellent idea. Also, a short
interview with Niki, Adele, and Nikol.

Niki Flynn Tribute: This is her 5th Lupus feature. She made Exchange
Student, Crime and Punishment, and Stalin 2 & 3
must-see films. Is it too soon to dub her Queen of the Scene? Not since
Kiri Kelly (who exuded a Goldie Hawn-like sweetness) in the '80s & '90s has
there been a Sub-performer with such star potential. This cute brunette has
that adorable girl-next-door charm backed up with intelligence and
above-average acting skills. Naked and about to be punished, her body
language, big brown eyes, and quavering voice projects a genuine girlish
vulnerability that makes us care about her. (Making her inevitable CP scenes
all the more electric.) Like an accessible "Mary Ann" standing out in a
crowd of prettier, sexier generic Gingers, she draws us in and makes us love
her. She's the Sandra Bullock of whup-ass cinema. One only hopes she stays
in the business for many years to come and uplifts the industry by making
bigger and better films.